Opening band was Transmission0, whom I had seen some time ago opening for The End. Back then I had a hangover and no clue that there was a genre called postcore, so it didn’t make a big impression on me. This time however I was very impressed. Their line-up consists of two guitarists, a bassist, drummer and a vocalist who also handles keyboards. Now postcore is on the rise lately, thanks to acts like Cult of Luna and Isis and some faster versions like for instance Burst. Our own Dutch Transmission0 can live up to what they are doing I think. Deep, hard brutal riffs that smack you right in the face, accompanied by dramatic melodies and harsh roars was what they offered us, and it felt good. It just hit the spot where it should, and besides one fast part in the show I enjoyed every moment of it. For those into the genre, check this band out!

 

Well, Ephel Duath is another one of those bands that take everything to the extreme. Mixing avant-garde fusion jazz with extreme metal isn’t something you see everyday, but they do it with ease. At least, so it seems. The musicians (guitar, bass, drums) all use clicktracks, so they have a rhythm to hang on to. But they play songs that keep constantly changing, sometimes nothing returns twice at all. And to see the bassist and guitarist play all that stuff together without any mistakes and a real treat for the eyes and ears. In the back they had a new drummer, whom also had to read his parts for papers and whom also executed everything without any problems. Even the smallest accents were placed perfectly. Insane! And then there is the vocalist who yells and screams his ass of over those horribly complex compositions. All you can do is be amazed by them and applaud them appropriately. If you want to see something really different sometime, try this on for size. You just might like it.